Anode cooling jacket



Marb 2, 1,943. 'c. v. L l'rToN 24,312,920

ANODE COOLNG" JACKET l Fired Feb. v, 1942 1e I||1|1 1M" inw) l i, 15 i Mf i FIG. s.

Patented Mar. 2, 1943 I AN GDE 'COOLING JACKET Charles V. Litton,Redwood City, Calif., assignor to International Standard ElectricCorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Dela- Ware ApplicationFebruary 7, 1942, Serial No. 429,871

4 Claims. (Cl. Z50-27.5)

This invention relates to vacuum tube construction and particularly totemperature regun lating means for vacuum tubes. Y

The object of the invention is to provide a construction by which the owof heat from a hot anode to a cooling medium can be controlled.

There have been heretofore provided vacuum tubes of which the anodes are`water cooled by means of a jacket around the anode, through which acooling uid flows to conduct heat away from the anode. It is sometimesdesired that the anode be operated at a higher temperature than theavailable fluid jacket permits, as for example, when thoriated filamentsare used in the tube; for in such tubes, if the anode were maintainedtoo cool the thorium would condense on the anode. Or gas released byelectrons might collect and stick there unless the anode be kept warmenough.

In accordance with my invention, there is provided an anode and jacketconstruction adapted to be placed into permanent cooling systemsdesigned to operate at temperaturesA below the desired temperature, butwhich by use of the present invention can maintain the anode at thedesired higher temperature. This higher temperature is maintained bymeans of a dummy anode which may be in the form of a wall or cylinder,adapted to be placed in the position of an ordinary anode adjacent thewall of the uid jacket; and the real anode is placed within the dummyanode and joined to the dummy anode by the use of suitable heatconducting struts or webs. The number and the thickness and length-ofthe webs determine the rate at which the heat is conducted from the realanode to the dummy anode, and consequently controls the temperature ofthe real anode above that of the cooling jacket.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken at line I-I of Fig.2, of an anode cooling device arranged in a water-cooling jacketaccording to this invention; and

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the device taken at line 2-2 of Fig.1.

In the drawing, there is shown a fluid cooling jacket such as a waterjacket of a general type which has theretoiore been used, into whichthere is adapted to be placed the anode of a vacuum tube to be cooled.The jacket comprises a cylindrical member IIl having two waterconnection nipples I I and I2 and a water inlet channel I3. There isplaced within the jacket a dummy anode I4 which may be generallycylindrical in shape and spaced from the inner wall of jacket I0 by anarrow annular space I5 which may be of the order of -11-6 of an inch.The jacket is formed with a toroidal cavity I6 around lthe dummy anodeat one end, and another cavity I'I at the opposite end, there being anannular gasket I8 between the end of the dummy anode and the jacket toprevent leakage of the cooling uid. Thus, cooling fluid can pass fromend of nipple I I through inlet channel I3 to cavity I6 through space I6to cavity I'I and out the exhaust nipple I2.

-To clamp the dummy 'anode I4 into its position within the jacket, thereVis provided a known type of clamp arrangement somewhat :similar-to thatillustrated in Suydam Patent 2,186,563, issued January 9, 1940. 'Ihiscomprises an annular ring I9 which is preferably a split ring of two ormore sections, which rests against the open periphery of the dummyanode. To bind the ring I9 against the anode, there is provided apressure collar 20 having an inwardly sloping annular portion 2|terminating in a pressure face 22 which engages with a circular recess23 of ring sections I9. The

opposite outer surface of ring I9 is chamfered at 24 to contain itwithin the periphery 25 of the jacket and permit free movement of thering toward the main body of the jacket. Posts 26 and 2l are fastened tothe end of the jacket and threaded at 28 and 29 respectively to receivethe corresponding threads on pressure collar 20. Thus by turning thepressure collar, the ring I9 may be tightened downagainst the endsurface of member I4 to compress it against gasket I8. By splitting thering I9 Ainto sections, the member I4 may be removed from the jacketsimply by loosening collar 20 and then removing thesections of ring I9from positions between the posts 26 and 21, as described in theabove-mentioned Suydam Patent 2,186,563. The jacket as thus described isof a type widely used to receive the anode of a tube which is to bewater cooled.

Ordinarily, when the present invention is not being used, the outersurface of a tube anode will occupy the position occupied by the memberI4 of the drawing, and tubes may readily be introduced and taken fromthe jacket from time to time if desired. In accordance with thisinvention, the member I4 is not the real anode but is a dummy anode, thereal anode being the member 30 4placed within the dummy anode andsupported by the latter by a number of webs SI. The heat of anode 36 isconducted through webs 3| to the dummy anode I4 from which it isconducted away by the ow of cooling water. Owing to the limited crosssectional area of heat Conduction of the webs 3|, the temperature of thereal anode 30 is maintained higher than that of dummy anode I4 which isnext to the cooling uid. By the adjustment of the number, size andthickness of the Webs 3|, the real anode may be maintained at thedesired temperature above that of the dummy anode.

Figs. 3 yand 4 show possible modications of the arrangement shown inFig. 1. In Fig. 1, the anode 30, the fins 3l and the outer wall areshown formed in one piece. section view of the anode, Webs and wall`corresponding to the same elements in Fig. 2, the anode 30a,corresponding to the portion 30 in Fig. 2v

tively with the elements 3l and I4 in Fig. 2. In

Fig. 4 a somewhat different modification is shown wherein the webs 3io,instead of being integral with the outer wall Mb as shown in Fig. 3, areintegral with the anode 30h, and the wall |4b is a separate piece. Here,the parts i417, 39h and 3Ib correspond respectively With the lpartslila, 30a and 3Ia in Fig. 3.

By the use of this invention, it is possible to place within existingjackets of an ordinary type, the anodes of tubes which must bemaintained at a higher than ordinary temperature. Special types oftubes, such as those having thoriated filaments whose anodes should bemaintained at higher than ordinary temperatures for ecient operation canaccordingly be provided with the v webbed jacket and placed Within thesame cool- In Fig. 3, which is a cross Cil ing jackets as the regularanodes of ordinary tubes which can be be operated cooler. The inventionthus provides for the ready interchange ability of the anodes ofdifferent types of tubes within the same cooling jacket and system.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, la. vacuum tube anode, a wall around the lanode and ajacket around the wall, said wall and jacket forming a chamber throughwhich a cooling iiuid is passed, and a web means connecting the anodeand the wall, for conducting heat from the anode to the wall, said webmeans having a cross section and length in respect to the path of theheat flow proportioned to maintain the anode at a predeterminedtemperature above the temperature of the cooling fluid.

2. A combination according to claim 1 in which the web means are aIplurality of webs extending radially between the Ianode and the w-all.

3. A combination according to claim 1 in which the anode, the wall andthe jacket are cylindrical in shape and concentrically arranged withrespect to each other, and the web means are a plurality of websextending radially between the anode and the wall. l

4. In combination, an anode, an outer wall around the anode adapted todissipate heat to a medium in contact with said wall, and a plurality ofwebs connecting the anode with the wall for conducting heat from theanode to the Wall.

CHARLES V. LITTON.

